1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a point of deployment (POD) module and a method thereof. More specifically, the present general inventive concept relates to a wireless point of deployment (POD) module and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Broadband communication systems, such as satellite and cable television systems, are now capable of providing many services in addition to broadcast video. In implementing enhanced programming, the set-top terminal (STT), otherwise known as a set-top box, has become an important computing device for accessing various video services. In addition to supporting traditional broadcast video functionality, many STTs now also provide other functionality, such as, an Interactive Program Guide (IPG), video-on-demand (VOD), subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), and functionality traditionally associated with a conventional computer, such as web browsing, e-mail, and instant messaging. Some newer STTs also have the ability to record an incoming video stream in digitized form onto a storage device such as a hard disk drive, and playback that recorded video as desired by the user. This functionality has become known as a digital video recorder (DVR) or personal video recorder (PVR) and is viewed as a superior alternative to conventional video tape recorders for capture and subsequent playback of programming content.
Furthermore, digital televisions that are capable of receiving signals directly from the communications systems are now available in the market. In this case, the television does not necessarily require the STT. Typically, the signals are encrypted prior to sending them through the communications systems, so a point of deployment (POD) module is required in order for the television to display the encrypted signals. Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs®), a research and development consortium, has defined specifications for a POD module (CableCARD) for use with a host device such as a television or STT.
A CableCARD is a PCMCIA Type II form factor device, which plugs into the conditional access (CA) slot on a host device and decrypts input signals received via cable. Cable providers distribute these modules to better ensure that the owners of the host devices have paid for the services and programs being accessed.
The CableCARD will selectively descramble the content only if the customer is authorized. CableCARDs are designed to descramble scrambled content into a clear format for viewing and/or listening, and may impose constraints and conditions on the recording and playback when the content is copy-protected through re-scrambling as it flows back to the host device.
The POD module may be one-way (i.e., decrypts incoming signals only) or two-way (i.e., decrypts incoming signals and transmits signals to the headend). A two-way CableCARD is also referred to as an advanced multi-stream CableCARD or AMS CableCARD.
The use of POD modules, such as CableCARD, is not limited to use with cable systems. In Europe, for example, POD devices called “Common Interface Modules” are used in the satellite industry. These modules are also PCMCIA Type II form factor based devices. The invention described herein applies equally to all types of POD modules, including, but not limited to CableCARDs and Common Interface Modules.
While POD modules obviate the need for STTs that perform the same functions described above, the current generation of POD modules has several limitations, which have impeded their widespread use. For example, the current generation of CableCARDs deployed in the United States are one-way and do not provide for an Interactive Program Guide, Video on Demand control functions, interactive and enhanced services, pay-per-view, and other capabilities. While two-way CableCARDs have been developed and should provide some of these features in the future, there exists a backward compatibility problem with existing host devices that only support one-way CableCARD modules. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a two-way POD module that can work with an older generation of hosts that only support one-way communication.
Even with the newer CableCARDs that support two-way communication, consumers are still faced with having to purchase multiple media devices in order to satisfy their entertainment needs. These media devices include, for example, digital video recorders (e.g., TiVo™ and ReplayTV™ terminals), network entertainment systems (e.g., Microsoft Media Center-based devices), datacast receivers (e.g., MovieBeam™), Internet-based set-top terminals (e.g., MSN TV and Apple TV), and gaming terminals (e.g., Microsoft® Xbox 360). These devices tend to be expensive and take valuable real estate within the home. With an ever-increasing number of media devices available in the market, there is a need in the art for a POD module that can perform the same functions as many of these media devices as possible, thereby eliminating their need. This benefit is also important in context of the increasing availability and demand for liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions, plasma televisions, and other types of display devices that can be mounted on a wall. Consumers that acquire these types of display devices would generally prefer to eliminate visible set-top boxes and cabling for simplification and esthetic reasons.
In a separate trend, an increasing processing speed and a reduced size of electronic components has contributed to a proliferation of personal computers capable of handling digital media. The explosive growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web have resulted in a correlative increase in the downloading and sharing of audio-visual files, including videos, music, and photos. As powerful personal computers become a repository for digital content and offer functionality such as Internet file sharing, digital recording, content editing, multimedia time-shifting, network gaming, and other capabilities—it is increasingly desirable to provide a seamless interconnection between the personal computer and television to allow the capabilities of the personal computer and content stored therein to be made accessible through the television. Such connectivity would further obviate the need for STTs that provide functionality capable of being delivered by personal computers within the home.
A problem remains in getting personal computers to communicate with television sets. In some cases, a direct physical connection must be established between the television and the personal computer using, for example, a FireWire connector, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, or some other type of input. Often, the two devices do not have compatible connectors to allow for direct connectivity. When compatible connector types are available, such connectivity methods are limiting in that the personal computer must be tethered to the television while communicating. If a desktop computer and television are in different locations, it is sometimes not possible to connect the devices via cable due to the distance that may be involved. Even if the devices can be connected while in different rooms, there is generally no way to remotely control the personal computer.
The use of network-connected STTs obviates some of these problems. An STT can be used to access digital content stored on a personal computer over a data network for viewing on a television to which it is directly interfaced. Such STTs can be expensive and often provide functionality that overlaps with personal computers. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved method, apparatus, and system that allows personal computers to connect with and stream digital content to a television over a data network without the need for a STT.
Wireless connectivity offers one of the most flexible means by which to connect a television and a personal computer. Short-range wireless capability using standards such as IEEE 802.11 (all current and future subsections), Bluetooth, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), and others are presently being integrated into personal computers. Wireless technology obviates the need for cables and adapters, provides for mobility within a certain range, and also allows data to be remotely accessed from another location. LAN connectivity via Ethernet or powerlines within the home could also allow television sets and personal computers to interconnect. Unfortunately, a large base of installed digital televisions and those being sold on the market today do not provide for either wireless or wireline access to a data network. As such, there is a need in the art for a POD module that provides “add-on” network connectivity to existing television sets and other hosts, thereby eliminating the need for STTs that perform this function. There is a further need for a POD module that is capable of processing digital content (e.g., IPTV, video downloads, etc.) received via a data network such as a LAN, WAN, or the Internet. There is a further need for a POD module that facilitates the remote control of a media player device such as a personal computer over a data network, in order to manipulate the transmission of digital content between the media player and television.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a conventional cable card (or POD) module 150 connected to a host device 100. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional cable card module 150 includes a conditional access (CA) decrypter 151, a copy protection (CP) encrypter 152, and a central processing unit (CPU) 153 to control the CA decrypter 151 and the CP encrypter 152. The host 100 includes a receiving unit receiving a cable signal through a cable television network cable 101 and having a tuner 102 and an out-of-band (OBB) modem 103 having a receiver (RX) 104 and a transmitter (TX) 105, a demodulator 106, a demultiplexer (DEMUX) 108, a CP decrypter 107, a second CPU 109 to control components of the host 100, an MPEG decoder 110, a graphics controller 111, a stereo audio codec unit 113, a display unit 112 and a speaker 114.
CableLabs' OpenCable™ specification defines the Point of Deployment module (POD or CableCARD module) 150 used in conjunction with the host device 100 such as the television or a set top terminal (STT), as depicted in FIG. 1. The OpenCable specification defines an interface between the host device 100 and the CableCARD module 150 that allows the host device 100 and the CableCARD module 150 to interoperate with each other even if the host device 100 and the CableCARD module 150 were produced by different vendors.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the CableCARD module 150 is interfaced with the host device 100 via a CableCARD (or POD) interface. The cable 101 is used as a transmission medium to send the cable signal, such as content or data, to and from the host device 100. The content is supplied as a stream of modulated data (e.g., a modulated multiplexed MPEG-2 data stream) to the tuner 102 that selects a particular channel of the incoming content. The tuned content is provided to the demodulator 106, which is then provided to an inband (INB) data port of the CableCARD 150. The demodulated data stream is supplied to the Conditional Access (CA) decrypter module 151.
After the demodulated data stream is processed by the CA decrypter module 151, the demodulated data stream is re-encrypted by the Copy Protection (CP) encrypter 152 and is returned to the host device 100. Within the host device 100, the encrypted data is decrypted at the CP decrypter 107 and then supplied to the demultiplexer 108, which separates the multiplexed data stream into a MPEG compliant A/V signal. The demultiplexed data from the demultiplexer 108 is provided to the MPEG decoder 110 that decodes the MPEG data and presents the decoded MPEG data to the graphics controller 111 to process the MPEG data and output the processed data to the digital display unit 112, and the stereo audio codec module 113 processes an audio signal and outputs the processed audio signal to the speakers 114 which are integrated with the host device 100.
Out of Band data (OOB) can also be communicated via the cable 101 using the OOB modem 103 which, for example, may have a Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) transmitter 105 and receiver 104. The CableCARD module 150 can also send and receive commands and information using the CPU 153, which communicates with the second CPU 109 of the host device 100 via the CPU port of the CableCARD module 150. The host device 100 may have a DOCSIS compliant modem (not illustrated) that further allows data received from a cable provider to be transmitted to the CableCARD module 150. Data transmitted from the CableCARD module 150 to the host device 100 may also be forwarded to the service provider through the DOCSIS compliant modem.
As described above, CableCARDs are one-way and do not provide for an Interactive Program Guide, Video on Demand control functions, interactive and enhanced services, pay-per-view, and other capabilities. Although two-way CableCARDs have been developed to provide some of the above features, a backward compatibility problem exists in that the host devices support only one-way CableCARD modules. Accordingly, there is a need for a two-way POD module that can work with an older generation of hosts that only support one-way communication. Even with a newer CableCARD that supports two-way communication, consumers are still faced with having to purchase multiple STTs that provide digital video recording and playback, multimedia time shifting, gaming, Internet downloading, and a remote access to digital content stored on network-connected media player devices such as personal computers and the like.
However, a conventional POD module cannot properly communicate with other personal electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, music players, video players, game players, etc. Such media player devices frequently store large amounts of digital content, are able to connect to the Internet, and exchange data with other electronic devices via a wire or wireless interface. As it may be desirable to view and/or listen to the digital content stored in the above devices through a television, there is a need for a POD module that can provide the necessary connectivity options and functionality to facilitate such operation.